Refuse can support



June 11 1957 R. w. ERENBERG ETAL i 2,795,336

REFUSE CAN SUPPORT Filed March' 11, 1953 MM?! w United States patent @dice 2,795,336 Patented June 11, `1957 REFUSE CAN SUPPORT Robert W. Erenberg, Edwin J. Goggin, and Howard T. Nordhy, Benson, Minn.

Application March 11, 1953, Serial'No. 341,658

1 Claim. (Cl. 211-71) This invention relates to a support for containers and more particularly to a simple device which is capable of holding simultaneously several refuse cans.

Heretofore, supports for garbage `and refuse cans have been proposed but in general, these have proved to be too expensive and yclumsy or not easily adaptable to holding more than one or two cans. Those which are capable of holding more than one garbage can have not proved to be readily adaptable to ycans of different sizes and shapes.

The present invention seeks to provide an extremely simple device which can be installed in a short time at any of a number of convenient locations, preferably in a yard to the rear of a building or adjacent the alley, the device being ycapable of holding several conventional refuse cans either identical in structure or Varying in dimension. The device may be used to accommodate several families or may provide several refuse cans for one family, each can being used for a different purpose. For example, it is often desirable to place tin cans and bottles in one refuse container, waste food products in another and burnable trash in still another.

It is a general object of our invention to provide for an economical and 1eiiicient post support which is capable of holding several refuse cans which may be of the same or different dimensions, the top of the post serving to engage consecutively in overlapping relation one handle of each of the several refuse cans.

Another object of our invention is to provide a post support for garbage cans having staggered support means for positioning several garbage cans at various vertical heights so as to prevent the handle elements positioned at the top of the post from coinciding in their positions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for a convenient and stable refuse can support which will position in balanced relation for easy placement and removal therefrom a plurality of refuse cans and maintain the said cans against tipping and upsetting from the elements or animals.

These and other objects and advantages of our invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of our refuse can support in position within the ground and holding two conventional refuse cans;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the support, together with the refuse cans as shown in Fig. l, a third refuse can being indicated by dotted lines, portions of the refuse cans being cut away;

Fig. 3 isa detailed segmental view of the rim supporting abutment means, portions thereof being cut away and hidden parts shown in dotted lines; and

Fig. 4 is a top view of the refuse can support showing the relative radial positions of the nim supporting abutment means fand -ange members before the refuse cans are placed thereon.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, our invention constitutes an elongated unitary post 10 having a reduced top portion 11 and a pointed stake portion 12, the latter being adapted to insertion into the ground for support in vertical relation therewith. The post 10 is preferably constructed of such material as steel having elongated radial flange or web members 13 disposed so that the cross sectional conguration thereof is a general Y-shape. Since, in the preferred form, there is little cross sectional area despite the strength of the post, it will easily adapt itself to driving in the ground even though the ground may be hard and packed.

The reduced upper portion 11 may be formed integrally with the ltriple web arrangement, the elongated flanged portions 13 being reduced to form narrower anges 14 at the upper portion. It is understood, of course, that the elongated reduced portion 11 might also be formed as a peg or other narrow upstanding element to vserve the purpose described below.

Medially of the post 10 is abutment means S which is constructed so as to underlie and support the downwardly extending rims 15 at the peripheral bottoms of conventional refuse or garbage cans C. The rim supporting abutment means S comprises a plurality of individual brackets arranged in staggered vertical relationship as shown in Fig. 3; The bracket 16 is the lowermost, the bracket 17 being intermediately positioned and the bracket 18 being uppermost. Each of the brackets 16,17 and 18 is rigidly secured to the post 10 in a position intermediate an adjacent pair of elongated flanges 13 and each has an outwardly and upwardly extending end portion 1i! which will retain the rim 15 of a refuse can C in supporting relationship and against accidental displacement therefrom.

In order to prevent the garbage cans C from rolling about the post and wedging themselves loose from, the rim supporting abutment S, radially extending vanes 2t) are rigidly formed outwardly from each of the elongated anges 13 at a position adjacent the rim supporting abutment means S. The flange members 13 tend to maintain the refuse or garbage cans C in upright position closely adjacent the post 10 and the vanes 20 accentuate the positioning of the cans to prevent lateral displacement by the elements or animals.

The means for retaining the upper portion of the refuse or garbage can C constitutes simply the aforementioned reduced top portion or peg 11. Since each of the conventional refuse cans C has a pair of handle elements 21 attached to the side thereof, one such handle on each of the garbage cans C is utilized cooperatively with said reduced portion or peg 11. Even though the garbage cans may be of identical construction and dimension, it will be observed that the staggered relationship of the abutment means or brackets 16, 17 and 1S is such as to position the handles in overlapping relationship in their position upon the reduced top portion or peg 11. lf the cans are of varying dimensions, the user will merely place the smaller of the cans in the lowermost position, the intermediate can in the middle and the larger of the three cans at the uppermost position. Our support will accommodate a plurality of the refuse cans C or may be used for but a single can as the operator wishes. Fig. l shows the support with two refuse cans positioned thereon while Fig. 2 illustrates three cans in position thereon, the third can being shown in dotted line configuration.

In the use of our simple :and convenient support, the lowermost refuse can is placed with its lower peripheral rim supported upon the bracket 16 with the upturned outward edge 19 lying inwardly of t'he rim. rThe refuse can in this position will have its outer cylindrical surface 22 in engagement with the vanes 20, the handle 21 having been first slipped over the reduced upper end 11 of the post 10. In a similar manner, the next refuse can may be positioned with its nim upon the bracket 17,\the handle u 21 thereof being `positioned in overlapping relation with that of the first refuse can. The cylindrical side portion 22 of the second refuse can will be similarly positioned against` lateral displacement by its cradled positioning upon the bracket and between its pair of vane members. Ina similar manner, a third garbage can may be posi tioned upon our support, the rim thereof being supported by the bracket 18 and .its handle 21 being uppermost on those positioned over the reduced portion or peg 11. lt will be observed that each of the three vanes 2S) serves to engage the cylindrical sides of two of the refuse cans. The uppermost reduced portion or peg 11 serves to support one handle each of all three of the refuse cans. The refuse can cover 23' may be taken oft and replaced at will without disturbing the refuse cans in their position upon the support.` A

It may thus be seen that we have devised an extremely simple and useful support for a plurality of garbage cans,

the device being inexpensive in construction yet retaining f the refuse or garbage cans in secure position against tipping or pilfering, while at the same time permitting removal and replacement of the entire garbage can with a minimum of attention and effort.

lt will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of our invention.

What we claim is:

A support for a plurality of conventional refuse cans said post, there being three such abutment means and the rim engaging portions of said abutment means being arranged in stepped relation circumferentially around said post and equi-angularly spaced from each other so that the associated refuse cans are supported at different heights thereby, the upper free end of said post being spaced from the uppermost abutment means a distance greater than the distance between the rim and handle of an associated refuse can and being of a size to extend through the handle loops of associated refuse cans to cooperate With the abutment means in supporting and locating the cans on the post, and means fixed to the post for engaging the `sides of the refuse cans and xing them against :lateral displacement when mounted on the post, the last mentioned means comprising three vanes fixed to and extending radially from said post and equi-angu larly spaced from each other, and at least portions of each of said vanes being disposed above the uppermost abutment means, each adjacent pair of varies including an angle bisected by a vertical plane containing the associated abutment means with the opposite sides of each vane being engageable with a pair of adjacent supported refuse cans and comprising in conjunction with the abutment means and the upper free end of the post the sole means for supporting the refuse cans on the post.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 699,066 Basket` Apr. 29, 1902 1,178,525 Lawrence Apr. 11, 19,16 1,530,815 Dear Mar. 24, 1925 2,430,672 Gandrud Nov. 11, 1947 2,448,456 Niskanen et al. Aug. 31, 1948 2,701,700 Williamson Feb. 8,` 1955 

